A ‘polynya’ is a large ice-free area that develops in an otherwise frozen sea, and this particular formation is situated in the Weddell Sea, east of the Antarctic Peninsula. At its peak ...

But this polynya's reappearance is a mystery to scientists ... A mysterious hole larger than Maryland has reappeared in the middle of Antarctica after 42 years. Scientists aren't sure how it ...

Scientists have finally discovered what's causing a Switzerland-size hole to repeatedly open up in Antarctica's sea ice.